Manager Kieran McKenna remarked that he does not see our encounter with Southampton tomorrow as a six-pointer and argued that every game is of equal value. I guess, this is a mechanism to relieve the pressure on the Town squad, as we move into our fifth competitive match in the Premier League, it certainly feels like we could do with a win! Three points on the board would put us in a healthy place in the table.
Thankfully, McKenna has virtually a full squad to choose from, and although I don’t expect many changes from the Brighton game, I do expect a little bit of fine-tuning. He seems to employ the “horses for courses” strategy quite often, and it also provides him with a good way of jinxing the opposition. Saints boss Russell Martin will be trying to second-guess our team, but it’s a challenge because the Town boss is unpredictable.
If Town make any changes at all then you can expect them up front, where Chiedozie Ogbene might replace Wes Burns. Whether Jack Clarke gets a start is also open to debate. Our defence looking very sound against Brighton so I would not expect to see any changes there unless they are enforced. In midfield, I think McKenna will stick with Morsy and Phillips. Once again, it looks like there will be no place for Luke Woolfenden.
I suspect there will be goals tomorrow, and I am predicting a narrow 1-2 win for the visitors. Interestingly, Alan Shearer also thinks we will be victorious, and has stated several times that he believes that of the three promoted teams Ipswich has the best chance of avoiding the drop. Saints boss Russell Martin knows that anything less than a home win could put him under enormous pressure. Kieran McKenna does not have these concerns because regardless of how our season develops, his job is very safe.
Agree with you Frank, a 2-1 away win. Let’s hope we’re right.
Not quite, Richard but given the state of play in added-on time, I would happily take that!